Speaking during a brief presentation ceremony in the Cabinet Room at Munhumutapa Offices, Mugabe said the e-government programme, which focuses on modernising government systems and processes through the use of information and communication technologies, is a part of the results-based management programme which government is implementing.
While the world is fast-moving towards the reduction of paperwork and bureaucracy in government systems and processes, most governments in developing countries are still lagging behind.
Read more: Robert Mugabe launches Zimbabwe's e-government programme
According to the Standish Group, "over half of IT projects conceived overrun their schedules and budgets, 31 percent are cancelled, and only 16 percent are completed on time".
While there are many reasons for the high failure rates, the most significant factor is poor project management and the absence of IT governance.
Views across the board said voters should be biometrically enrolled for the country’s next elections, due late this year or early next year.
Biometric voter registration has software that captures citizens’ data, including fingerprints and a digital photograph, directly in the field. In Zimbabwe far placed villagers in remote areas usually travel long distances just to register to vote. At times many people miss out on registering because of the high costs involved in travelling.
Read more: Calls for Zimbabwe to adopt Biometric voters’ registration
Permanent secretary Sam Kundishora revealed that a review of the National ICT policy, launched in 2007, is planned. At a recent ICT symposium convened in Harare by the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) with the theme of embracing ICT for business growth, Kundishora said some of the initiatives being carried out by the ministry include upgrading the ICT literary rate to match the country’s literacy rate above 90 percent with a series of training, awareness programmes and road shows.
There are also plans to promote competency in use of ICT tools and to familiarise the community with relevant technology.
Chamisa said government had adopted “ZimConnect”, which is a masterplan that seeks to transform the country’s ICT sector and the way of doing business.
Chamisa said government has since completed the $16 million optic fibre link that is set to fasten the flow of information.
The project is expected to be launched in a few weeks following satisfactory successful trial runs.
Read more: Zimbabwe will become hub of information technology — Chamisa